Yesterday afternoon while I was getting ready for Bible Club a girl came by and jokingly told me “Mr. John I’m sorry but your Bible Club is so boring!” Though she was kiddding it still felt like somebody had punched me in the stomach. She was probably a little serious because I have a teaching Bible Club (emphasizes explaining Scripture) instead of a fun Bible Club (that emphasizes giving things away).
My first Bible Club in Saint Vincent was a fun one because I needed to develop relationships with children…the result was seventeen kids on my front porch. However 85% of them were just there for free things, and they weren’t listening to the lesson, so I changed to a teaching Bible Club philosophy.
The thing is a Teaching Bible Club doesn’t have to be boring. You just need to have a schedule in place that moves very quickly
I’ve learned to make my teaching Bible Club move quickly by instituting the three to five rule: Other than the beginning game and Bible lesson, everything should be less than five-minutes. We often don’t meet this rule exactly but having it in my mind makes me move quickly from one part of Bible Club to the next, proving that it won’t be boring.
For instance take my normal schedule:
- Children who come early are given one life on a tablet game
- If there is still time before Bible Club starts they can look through a teaching book, or story cards
- Every child is told the amount of good marks they have on the “tick sheet” when they enter and can check other peoples names
- Bible Club begins with prayer and a brief game (nothing too active)
- Everyone is reminded of the Bible Club rules (Sit Up, Listen Up, Hand Up, Look Up) and told two people will be given extra tablet time
- We follow with a Bible-Based song the kids like (they seem to prefer “Countdown”)
- Next we sing a fun song like “read your Bible pray every day”
- Review that weeks memory verse-first three children to say it get good ticks
- Read the Bible Story (I always use the “Jesus Storybook Bible” making sure to hold the book in front of me so kids can see the pictures, and read the words upside down)
- Review Questions asked directly to children who have been listening and obeying
- Closing Song
- Tablet time given out to two children, and giving of ticks to best behaved kids
If we don’t experience many interruptions or “drama” it’s possible to finish Bible Club in about twenty-minutes, definitely not boring!
I’m always looking for more tools so what games, songs, books, or websites have you found that helps teach children the Gospel?
Johnhwilburn.org 